Photos

Street atmosphere & The Evangelical Church, Hallstatt

The town of Hallstatt stretches along a narrow strip of land between the foot of the Salzburg mountain and the shores of Lake Hallstatt. From the Muhlbach side the slag heaps that have accumulated over the centuries have been transformed into artificial headlands extending into the lake. The triangular shaped market place, which is surrounded by late Gothic style houses, marks the centre of old Hallstatt, along with the Catholic parish church of Saint Mary which was relatively unscathed by the fire of 1750.

In contrast, the southern part of the town - “in der Lahn” - dates mainly from the eighteenth century, most of it having been built after 1750 in the late Baroque style. Typical Hallstatt houses, which are tall and narrow, are adapted to the limited space available and the layout of the town. Some exceptional buildings from the end of the medieval era can still be seen such as the “Rudolfsturm” which was built at the end of the thirteenth century to protect the subterranean salt mine installations.

Evangelical Church in Hallstatt

The Teachings of Martin Luther became popular, especially among miners, in the 16th century in the Salzkammergut.
There was so much resistance and upheaval in the Salzkammergut during this period of religious Reformation. 1n 1601, all bridges were destroyed, transportation of wood and boats was made impossible .... Evangelical preachers appealed against the Catholic Church. Yet the Archbishop of Salzburg's supporters suppressed this rebellion, and condemned the opposition to death and set their homes on fire. Like most other towns in the Salzkammergut, Hallstatt was under attack for a number of years. In 1734, 300 Protestants, not including women and children, were forced out of their homes in Hallstatt, Ischl and Goisern by night and often in horrendous weather conditions. Soldiers transported them to the "Siebenbuergen" where they now had to settle.

In 1781, Emperor Joseph II showed some religious tolerance and allowed Protestants to practice their faith with restrictions. At this time, there were 500 Protestant inhabitants of Hallstatt, and just 3 years later they had built their first Prayer Room as well as a private school.

The Neo-Gothic, Evangelical church which exists in Hallstatt today was built in 1863. Emperor Franz Josef I (1861) declared that the Evagelical and Catholic faiths should be equally tolerated. (Sourve: World Heritage Cities & wikipedia)